Bloodshed: A My Little Pony Alternate Universe
by ZapWBolt
Summary: In an alternate universe, a war has been raging in Equestria for almost twenty years. Shadow Sombra, an evil unicorn rose up from seemingly nowhere and murdered Princess Celestia, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor. This is the story of a rebel group of ponies who are fighting to take back what once was their's: freedom. (Heavily references Star Wars)
1. Prologue

_Far outside of the land of Equestria…_

Night was falling, the darkness swallowing up the land like a hungry beast. The moon began to steadily rise over the treetops, blanketing them in a silvery sheet. It was peaceful yet powerful, and the world seemed to go silent for a few moments.

As the silence droned on, a pony arrived. She walked quietly, taking long strides as she seemingly floated across the forest floor. She was wearing a dark cloak, with a hood covering her head and face. One could just barely see her violent blue eyes.

One the other side of the forest, another pony emerged from the treeline. This pony was covered in stripes and a spiky mane ran down her neck. A zebra. She wore a cloak as well, but the hood was down. She approached the other pony who was now standing in the middle of the clearing.

"Zecora," The first pony said as the zebra approached her.

The zebra just nodded. "Greetings."

"Do you have the book I requested?" The pony asked, shifting her hooves impatiently.

"Indeed, the book I did bring. But you, do you have the ring?" Zecora asked as she pulled an old book with a worn leather cover out of her cloak.

The mysterious pony didn't say anything. Her eyes were fixated on the book. She levitated a beautiful ring out of her cloak with a vibrant blue aura. The ring had a gold band, and a dazzling purple crystal sat in the center of it.

"Ah yes, yes, very well. Here is the book of spells," Zecora said, handing the book to the pony. The pony levitated the ring over to Zecora who grabbed it out of the air. "But if I may ask, why was I sent on this task?"

For a while, it was silent. The pony was leafing through the book she had received, making sure it was what she wanted. Finally, she spoke. "This is a very important book, Zecora. That ring is quite valuable, but I would have given most all of my possessions to have this book."

The zebra tilted her head to the side. The pony hadn't answered her question, but she had the ring, and that's all that mattered. She was going to sell it, and hopefully gain enough money to buy materials to build a small house. The War had displaced thousands upon thousands of ponies, even Zecora who had lived in the Everfree forest for most of her life.

"Thank you Zecora." With those final words, the pony disappeared back into the trees, her dark figure slowly fading amongst the shadows.

* * *

 **Guys! I'm not dead!** **Isn't that a surprise.**

 **Look, I know. I know I'm supposed to be writing other stuff right now, but I had such a good idea and I need to get this out there. Hopefully Imma start drawing the characters for this AU soon. Also cover art. Also school. Dammit.**

 **Well any way, hope you enjoyed this so far! I'm doing a double chapter thing upload, so the next chapter won't have an author's note in it. I should be writing some more of my Star Wars fan fic and my YJ fan fic, so stay tuned on those if you're reading them.**

 **See you in the next update!**


	2. Chapter 1

Twilight Sparkle sat in the grand window of the marvelous Canterlot castle, gazing out upon the picturesque city below her. Everything looked calm and peaceful, but she knew just beyond the rolling hills, chaos and war was raging.

The war had been going for almost her entire life. The unicorn could barely remember a time when ponies could freely travel city to city. When they did not have to fear an invasion every day of their lives. When little foals still had the hope of one day discovering their special talent. When _she_ was just a normal citizen of Equestria.

Twilight sighed, continuing to stare out the window. She wondered if Princess Celestia or Princess Luna ever stared out the window like she was doing. The mare had never had the chance to see the princesses in real person, even though she had lived in Canterlot her entire life. And now she would never have the chance to meet them. Twilight remembered the day… That horrible day…

She remembered that she was sitting in the family room with her brother, Shining Armor. At the time, she was five years old and her brother was nine. It was early morning on a Saturday. Twilight could remember the exact date. October 13th. All that time ago…

She and her brother were watching the Saturday morning cartoons on the television. She couldn't quite recall what exactly they were watching, but cartoons nonetheless. However, she distinctly remembered what her father's face looked like when he came through the front door with the Saturday paper. Night Light looked about five shades paler. His eyes were wide with terror, and he appeared to be trembling.

"Dear, what's wrong?" Twilight's mother asked once she saw her husband.

Night Light said nothing. All he did was levitate the paper so his wife could see it.

Twilight Velvet's face dropped. The same look of terror and panic appeared. "Oh… Oh my…" she managed to utter.

Shining Armor jumped off the couch and trotted over to his parents. "What?" he asked, concerned but curious.

The two older unicorns leapt backwards. Night Light hid the paper behind his back, looking even more nervous than before. "It's err…." He looked to his wife for support.

Twilight Velvet gulped. "Well… Um…. Shining…. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna… They're…. Gone."

Shining tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean… gone?"

The parents exchanged glances. They obviously didn't know what to say.

"Mommy? Daddy? Why do you look so… scared?" Twilight asked, climbing down from the couch and going to stand next to her brother.

After a while of silence, Night Light finally spoke. "Tell you what kids. Mommy and Daddy need to talk for a little while. We need you to go upstairs to your rooms. We'll explain to you later, okay?"

"But-" Shining started, but couldn't finish since his mother cut him off so quickly.

"Shining, please." Twilight Velvet looked desperate.

Shining sighed, looking disappointed. "Come on Twily. Let's go." He turned to walk up the stairs, motioning for Twilight to follow. The little unicorn filly reluctantly followed her older brother.

Once upstairs, Twilight and her brother went in opposite directions, heading to their rooms. Twilight hopped onto her bed, and laid on her back. She stared at the ceiling, becoming increasingly more worried. Why had her parents looked so afraid?

The rest of the memory was very fuzzy to Twilight. She racked her brain as she sat at the window, trying to remember what her parents had told her and her brother. It was something about the princesses going away…. Yes, something like that.

But the one thing Twilight could never forget, was that Saturday night. She was still curious, and she knew she wouldn't be able to get to sleep if she didn't find out what _really_ happened. She someone knew what her parents had told her wasn't true, and she was determined to find out the truth. Twilight had always been an inquisitive and intelligent filly, learning to read at the age of three. She remembered how she snuck down the stairs, careful not to make a sound. She searched everywhere. The kitchen. The family room. The dining room. Finally, she found the paper stuffed in a drawer in her father's office. She thought twice about reading it, not wanting to get in trouble, but she decided she was too curious to let it go.

 **Breaking News: Princess Celestia and Others Murdered by Shadow Sombra**

The filly's eyes went wide, and her heart started beating faster and faster. How could this happen? At the age of five, she had a very rough concept of death, but she knew Princess Celestia wouldn't be coming back. The unicorn continued to read.

 _October 13th- Princess Celestia, her student, Cadence- age nine, and several members of the royal guard were murdered only last night. General Silver Spear, a leader of the royal guard who answered to the Princess' cry for help, witnessed the crime. He states that the murderer was a mysterious unicorn who goes by the name 'Shadow Sombra', and that the Royal Guard has been trying to track down Shadow Sombra for many moons._

" _There was nothing I could do," Silver Spear says. "It was too late by the time I made it to her study."_

 _No pony is quite sure how Shadow Sombra managed to find his way into the castle without being detected. The Royal Guard is now on high alert. More unsettling news has been uncovered. Princess Luna is reported as being missing. It is suspected that she disappeared the night of her sister's murder, but it does not appear that any harm has come to her. As of now, she is presumed missing. Taking over as acting ruler of Equestria will be captain of the Royal Guard, Captain Shooting Dart. Turn to page 4 for more about this story._

Twilight stopped, throwing the paper back into the drawer,slamming it shut and running up the stairs. She dashed into her room, and dove under the covers, tears sliding down her face. _How could this happen?_ The little unicorn thought to herself. _What's going to happen to us?_

"And little did I know, the worst was yet to come." Twilight surprised herself, speaking out loud. She let out a breath, calming herself. Her thoughts rushed through the years after Princess Celestia's death. They never found Princess Luna, and she was presumed dead. Twilight's brother joined the army, because it was rumored that Shadow Sombra was planning an attack. All of Equestria was on high alert for many years.

And then the day arrived. The day that Shadow Sombra would launch his attack. The day that Shining Armor would be lost in the battle. The day that Shooting Dart would be exterminated. The day that the _war_ would begin.

Equestria had fallen into terrible disarray, and the ponies desperately needed a new leader to fend off Sombra's attacks. That's when Twilight was called in. She and many other ponies showing incredible abilities were brought before the remaining Royal Council. Among these ponies were, of course, Twilight, a pegasus named Rainbow Dash and a unicorn named Sunset Shimmer.

The Council held a vote, and Twilight, to her surprise, was elected leader. She remembered exactly how she felt that day, panic, terror and _honor_ filled her body. Rainbow Dash was elected to lead the Royal Guard, and Sunset Shimmer was to be deputy to Twilight.

Times were indeed desperate if the Council had to call upon normal civilians, but most of the Royal Guard had been wiped out, and none of the Royal Council members had been willing to step up due to the selfish fear of being assassinated. So, normal civilians it was.

The past years had been difficult for Twilight. Many ponies enlisted to be in the army, or join the Council. Some even wanted to work at the Canterlot Castle or the other bases around Equestria. It was hard being a young ruler, but Twilight had managed to keep Equestria in one piece somehow.

But she wasn't sure that was going to last much longer.


	3. Chapter 2

Scootaloo sighed, throwing a chunk of cement that had come loose from the floor at the wall. It smashed into tiny pieces, scattering across the cell.

The Pegasus was practically dying of boredom. She had been trapped in this cell for days, and initially, she had been worried. But now… There was absolutely nothing to do but think.

Scootaloo thought about her father. He was part of the Royal Guard before the war, and he became a general as soon as it began. Scootaloo hadn't seen him in almost two years. And her mother, she had never met. That was because her mother had died in foalbirth with Scootaloo. The war had been raging for a few years when she was born, and most ponies didn't have access to medical care. Scootaloo's father was away at the time, and apparently the neighbor had been present at Scootaloo's birth. The neighbor was a florist named Chrysanthemum and she had taken Scootaloo in. Scootaloo's father had returned home once he heard what had happened, but he had entrusted his daughter to Chrysanthemum and left again.

Most ponies would have been angry if their father was barely present in their lives, but not Scootaloo. She barely even _knew_ her father. All she knew was that he was a General and his name was Thunderhead. That just about covered it. Scootaloo tried to calculate how much time she'd spent with her father throughout her life. _Can't have been more than 48 hours._ Scootaloo thought.

Two days, Scootaloo had spent with her father, in her whole nineteen years of life. Could you even call a pony you've spent a mere two days with your father?

Then there was Chrysanthemum. Scootaloo called her 'Mom' even though Chrys had made it very clear she wasn't Scootaloo's mother. But she had been everything a mother should be. Scootaloo wouldn't have had it any other way. And what did it matter? It's not like she knew her real mother any way.

Scootaloo sighed once again, getting up from her sitting place and pacing around the cell. She had seen ponies go back and forth outside of the cell, but none acknowledged her. The only pony she had talked to was the mare who brought her her meals. Well, that wasn't true. There was this little colt who had come up to her cell and talked to her before the guards shooed him away. Scootaloo had told him how she had been wandering around, looking for some crops the fires and battles may have missed. All of a sudden, she was approached by a heavily armored stallion who had angrily asked he what she was doing there. Before she could answer, her legs were tied together and a gag placed over her muzzle. The stallion carried her all the way back to the prison and had thrown her in a cell. The colt had told her that 'General Sunset Shimmer' had ordered that all ponies found near 'Rebel Headquarters' were to be thrown in jail.

Now, Scootaloo was bored. Just _bored._ She didn't care what was going to happen to her, as long as she could get out of this cell. She'd rather die sane than die crazy from isolation.

As if her thoughts had been read, a guard appeared at the front of her cell.

"Private conference with the General," the guard said as he slid a key into the lock on the cell door. He entered and placed a chain around Scootaloo so he could lead her out. The guard looked straight into her eyes. "And some advice. _Do not_ speak unless the General addresses you, that is, if you want to refrain from being thrown into the Fire Pit."

Scootaloo said nothing. She followed the guard as he lead her down the prison hallways. There were many other prisoners there, all looking just about as bored as Scootaloo had been. Except a young pegasus stallion at the end of the hallway. He looked agitated, and was kicking at the walls. He tried to unfurl his wings, but they were clipped. Scootaloo looked at her own, remembering they were clipped as well. It's not like it mattered to her. They couldn't provide much of an escape to her any way. When the guards had placed the clips on her wings, she wanted to tell them that she couldn't fly, but she was self-conscious about it, no matter the situation

. As Scootaloo passed the stallion's cell, they made eye contact. He had a fierce look in his eyes, an unkempt rage that was just beginning to bubble upwards. It almost scared her, but before she could get a better look, she was pulled out of the hallway and into a long passageway that lead to the outside.

 _Maybe they'll set me free._ Scootaloo thought. _All I was doing was looking for food. It's not like I was trying to invade or something._

The guard dragged Scootaloo through another doorway towards the end of the passageway. There were two guards standing outside of it, and they and the guard leading Scootaloo nodded to acknowledge each other.

The new room Scootaloo had entered into was huge. It was elegantly decorated, full of tapestries and murals. They all had images of bloody battles and dying ponies on them. In the center of the room, there was a long, wooden table with large chairs around it. At the end of the table, a light orange unicorn with a short, clipped, red and yellow mane was sitting. Her piercing aqua eyes fell upon Scootaloo, and the pegasus immediately felt uncomfortable. The unicorn was wearing light armor, a crystal in the shape of a sun attached to the chest piece.

"Bring her here," The unicorn said, speaking to the guard.

The guard did as he was told, shoving Scootaloo up towards the unicorn.

"Take her chains off."

Once again, the guard responded without a second thought.

"Now leave."

Scootaloo was alone with the unicorn.

She knew this was her chance to escape, to run, but the look the unicorn was giving her kept her stock still. She was terrifying, and Scootaloo had no idea why.

"Tell me your name."

The order came quickly, and Scootaloo felt that she had no chance but to obey. "Sc-Scootaloo."

The unicorn nodded, as if she was deep in thought. "You will call me General Sunset Shimmer, or rather, General Shimmer."

Scootaloo croaked, "Yes…. General Shimmer."

"Good. Now, the reason I've asked you here is because I have something I need from you," General Shimmer began. "I lead a group of rebels. We do not follow Queen Twilight Sparkle, nor Shadow Sombra. We are our own group, and we do what we please. But, one day, I hope to conquer Equestria. I know, I know, I have large expectations, but in the midst of Sombra's terror, we have gone unnoticed. And what I am asking of you, is to join my army."

Scootaloo wasn't sure if she had heard correctly. "Your… army? Er… General Shimmer?"

A tiny smile crept across the General's face. "Yes, the army. I need pegasi to join, considering most of the army consists of unicorns and earth ponies. Aerial scouts would be a massive help. Are you a good flyer?"

Scootaloo flinched. She _hated_ talking about how she couldn't fly. And she was beginning to get nervous. What would the General do if she found out Scootaloo couldn't fly? The pegasus sighed, realizing it was a fact that would be discovered sooner or later.

"Well… You see, General Shimmer…. I… Um…. I can't fly," Scootaloo stammered shakily.

General Shimmer tilted her head to the side, trying to comprehend what Scootaloo had told her. "What do you mean, you can't fly?" she said, anger rising in her voice. "This better not be part of some sort of escape plan. If you're lying to me…"

Scootaloo shook her head quickly. "No, General Shimmer. It is not. I… I really can't fly."

Without hesitation, the General called her guards. "Guards! Take this pegasus away. Throw her in the Fire Pit. She is no use to us."

Scootaloo began to panic. She contemplated trying to run, but she doubted that she would get far. Before she could come up with a better plan, she felt a chain around her neck. In a state of terror, she had a rush of adrenaline. The pegasus reared up, slamming her hooves onto the head of the guard holding the chain. In surprise, he dropped it. This gave Scootaloo a chance. She could hear the General yelling, and the other guard was in hot pursuit. The pegasus took off running, the chain dragging against the ground behind her.

She burst through the door, dashing into the passageway. She could see the light of the sun flickering in, and she ran towards it, the chain clanking along behind her. She had to lose it. It was slowing her down, and if the guard were able to grab it, she would be done for. As she was running, she began to try and pull the chain off. It was tight around her neck, and she couldn't get it over her head. She would have to stop to free herself from it.

But there was no time for that. She could hear the guard's hooves on the ground behind her, and she rushed on, galloping into the outside.

The mere terror Scootaloo was feeling was enough to keep her running for a very long time. Her hooves beat the earth, her breath coming out in rasps. She gazed ahead, squinting her eyes in the bright sunlight. The land in front of her was desolate and barren. A few chunks of browning grass sprouted pathetically from the dry ground.

Scootaloo had no idea where she was going to go. If she ran back to Ponyville, all the residents could be im danger. But where else could she go?

Suddenly, Scootaloo felt the chain around her neck tighten. She was pulled backwards, falling onto the ground. The Pegasus looked upwards to see the guard looming over her.

The guard looked very angry. He grabbed Scootaloo, forcing her to stand. The chains dug into her neck, making her cough and gasp for air.

 _No._ A little voice inside of Scootaloo said. _I'm not going to die. I'm NOT going to die!_

With a rush of fury, Scootaloo kicked out, hitting the guard square in the chest. Once again, he was surprised at her sudden attack. But this time, he fought back. The guard lashed out, twisting the chain tighter and tighter. Scootaloo desperately tried to take in air. She battered the guard with her hooves, struggling and kicking.

Suddenly, Scootaloo couldn't move. She saw that both her and the guard were surrounded in a light, teal aura.

"I didn't tell you to kill her by strangulation," General Shimmer said as she approached Scootaloo and the guard.

She released them from the aura, and Scootaloo fell to the ground, nearly unable to breath. She felt the chains leave her neck, and she greedily gulped down the air.

"Now, return to the base," the General said to the guard. "I'll handle this."

The guard saluted, and then galloped back the way he had come.

"Now, I was going to kill you, but I am quite impressed by how you reacted to the guard. You may be a flightless Pegasus, but I think you have potential," General Shimmer said. "I'm going to make you an offer. You can join my army, and I'll give you three months to prove yourself useful. Or, you can just die. The choice is yours."

 _Well that seems like a fair deal._ Scootaloo thought sarcastically. _At least I wouldn't have to deal with this if I died._ But really, she didn't want to die.

General Shimmer could see Scootaloo wasn't persuaded. "If you join, you'll get free meals and free board."

That caught Scootaloo's attention. It wasn't easy surviving when a war had been raging for nearly twenty years. And if she joined the army, she would get what she needed.

Though, she knew she would be in great danger if she joined. But at that point, she was in great danger any way and there wasn't much she could do to get out of it.

"I'll join," Scootaloo said, staring at the General.

"Wise decision," General Shimmer said with a small smile.

Scootaloo wasn't sure she had made the best choice, but either way, there was no turning back now.

* * *

 **Hi**

 **This took way longer than I should have. I really need to update my other stories. Also, I need to make another fan fic reading on my YouTube channel.**

 **So yeah, that's pretty much it.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Bye**


	4. Chapter 3

"At attention!"

The pegasus soldiers ceased their chatting and quickly formed a line.

"You call that a line? When I say 'at attention', I mean AT ATTENTION!"

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" The chorus of soldiers responded firmly.

Rainbow Dash stalked down the line of soldiers. Each one stood stock-still, staring straight ahead. The blue pegasus scowled, glaring at each pegasus as she went along.

"You are an _elite_ squad," Dash growled. "I expect the best from each one of you. If you can't handle it, then I suggest you bail out now. Is that understood?"

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!"

Dash waited for a few moments, seeing if any of the soldiers would come forward and ask to be removed from the squad. When none did, she continued.

"Each of you were chosen for this squad because of your exceptional performances in the skill exams. You will all be going on more difficult missions, which will eventually lead up to what this squad was really formed for," Dash explained. "At the end of your specialized training, you will be sent to the Crystal Empire, where Shadow Sombra's main base is located. You will gather as much information as possible, and eventually, you and several other elite squads that are now under training will attempt to infiltrate the base and shut it down. That's all you need to know for now; was that understood?"

The soldiers voiced their usual response.

"Good. Now, roll call. Thunderlane!"

"Present!"

"Cloud Chaser!"

"Present!"

"Lightning Dust!"

"Present!"

"Sky Stinger!"

"Present!"

Dash continued calling roll, and it appeared that everyone enlisted in the squad was indeed present. That was a first. Every other time Dash had been in charge of a squad at least someone had failed to show up. The rainbow-maned pegasus could tell this was a good group of soldiers.

"Now, today will be a nice and easy first day," Dash stated, trying not to smirk. "You'll start out with fifty laps around the track to test your endurance, than you'll go through a specially made obstacle course. To close the day out, you'll be doing some team building exercises and such. Now, usual warm-up, go!"

The squad took off at a mediocre speed, flapping their wings as they glided around the track twice. Not one of them broke a sweat at this; they'd done it a million times. Then they proceeded to do various other warm-up exercises and stretches; each one could be compared to a robot, as they did their warm-up so mechanically and efficiently.

As the squad finished up their warm-ups, they got back into a line and waited for their next command.

"Not bad, not bad, but I expect to see improvement," Dash said. She had indeed been impressed at the squad's skills, but she didn't want to let them know. The mare knew it was best to keep the squad thinking like they were never good enough. They always had to believe they could improve, or else they would never reach their full potentials. Dash remembered when she was in an elite squad; it had been earlier on in the war so the duties she performed were nowhere near as dangerous as what this squad would be doing. But still, that 'I'm never good enough' mentality stuck with her, and she worked harder and harder every day. She credited her success in the military to this thought. Most ponies who were at her level her much older than her.

"Alright squad. When the whistle blows, I want fifty laps at high speed," Dash stated. "Your rankings today are going to matter more than your past ones, so I suggest you put effort into this."

The start whistle blew, and each member of the squad took off like a bullet. Dash watched with a critical eye, studying each of their forms as they circled around the track.

"General Dash."

Dash turned her head around to see her fellow general, Spitfire standing behind her. The orange pegasus had a serious look on her face.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle wants to see you. She's waiting in the conference room," Spitfire said. "I'll take over here for now."

Dash nodded. "Alright."

The two mares saluted at each other and Dash spread her wings and took flight. She wondered what the Princess wanted to speak about. It wasn't every day that one was called to speak with the sole leader of Equestria. Dash had almost forgot that the Princess was in Cloudsdale. She had come up to check on the training process and find out how many soldiers would be ready in the next year or so.

Dash didn't know much about the Princess, besides her being quite talented at magic. She was a unicorn, but she had the magical abilities of an alicorn. She had even been able to enchant the entire city of Cloudsdale all by herself to allow non-pegasus ponies to walk upon it.

Dash landed on the soft clouds in front of the conference room and walked towards the large wooden doors. Two guards stood completely still outside. The pegasus walked past them pushed the doors open, entering the building. At the end of a long table, Princess Twilight sat in her usual cloak. She was rarely seen without it. On her head, the Princess wore a band of gold. The same material formed a tight collar around her neck and bracelets for her front hooves. A deep, violet crystal was embedded in the front of the collar.

"General Dash," the Princess said, acknowledging Dash with a slight nod.

"Your Majesty," Dash responded with a bow.

"You may rise," Princess Twilight said. "Please, take a seat."

Dash walked to the nearest seat. It was also the one farthest from the Princess.

"Closer."

Dash raised her head. "Pardon me, Princess Twilight?"

"Come closer to me."

Dash hesitated, but eventually decided to walk to the middle of the table and take a seat. Yet, the Princess was still not satisfied.

"Closer yet, General Dash. Sit here, next to me."

Once again, Dash had a moment of hesitation before she obeyed the orders. She uncomfortably took a seat right next to the Princess.

"Good. Now that we're all settled, I must admit something to you, General Dash," the Princess began. "I have this bizarre feeling that we were intended to be friends. Yes, I know it sounds strange, but I feel that if the universe was as it was supposed to be, we would be friends."

"Permission to speak, Princess Twilight?" Dash asked.

The Princess waved her off. "We don't have time for such formalities. You may speak if you have something to say. However, don't you think that statement is counterproductive? You're speaking to ask if you are able to speak, when you could be getting right along with what you need to say."

"Er… Yes, Princess Twilight," Dash said. "But what I must ask is… What do you mean by 'if the universe was as it was supposed to be'?"

Twilight was silent for a moment. "Well, you don't really think that this was how things were supposed to go, do you? Equestria is meant to be a land of peace and harmony, not chaos and destruction."

"Yes, I suppose so, Princess Twilight."

Twilight sighed. "And please, you don't have to address me with every sentence you speak."

"Yes, Pr-" Dash stopped herself. "So, you believe that were were… Meant to be friends? Pardon me, I don't mean any disrespect, but doesn't that sound a bit far-fetched? I mean, we barely even know each other."

"Yes, indeed. But I just have this feeling. And it's not just about you either. I feel as if there are other ponies out there who were meant to be our friends as well. A whole group of us, and that we were to be the ones to enforce harmony, and keep the chaos away," Twilight explained.

"If you don't mind me asking, where is this going?" Dash inquired.

The Princess didn't say anything for a while. She stared out the nearest window, deep in thought. After a few moments, she turned back to Dash. "Well, if the two of us, and the other ponies I speak of were the guardians of harmony, then maybe we are still able to join together and save Equestria."

"So… Find the other ponies, and we will be able to stop Shadow Sombra?"

"Well, I haven't worked that out yet. I don't believe that it is just us alone that will stop him. We will… Need something. I'm not sure what that something is just yet," Twilight said.

Dash nodded, beginning to mill over the thoughts herself. The Princess _was_ quite talented when it came to magic, so maybe she was having some sort of magical premonition. Equestria was running out of ideas, and Dash wasn't so sure that they could stop Shadow Sombra by brute force any more.

"So, what course of action should we take?" Dash asked.

"Nothing," the Princess replied nonchalantly.

"Nothing?"

"Yes. Nothing. I did not look for you, did I? I just found you by chance."

"But, Princess Twilight… We don't have all the time in the world…"

"We'll have just enough for this. I can sense it."

"And what if your plan fails?"

"Well, I guess than Equestria was destined to fall."

Dash was surprised by what the Princess had just said. They were not meant to fall, they were meant to fight. Shadow Sombra would not win; if they went down, they would take him down with them.

"You may be dismissed, General Dash. If you believe that you have come across any of the ponies, please send for me," Twilight stated.

"Yes, Princess Twilight," Dash responded with a curt nod.

As the pegasus mare flew the distance back to her squad, she thought further over what the Princess had said. She wasn't quite sure it was the best plan, but there wasn't much else Equestria had. It was last resort. They'd have to try it, if there was any hope of saving the land. But Dash was beginning to lose all sense of security. She was becoming less and less sure each day that they'd survive this.


End file.
